


Of Dissonance and Harmony

by Blaze22



Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/M, On Hiatus, slow start
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-09
Updated: 2019-06-17
Packaged: 2019-10-07 01:50:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17356685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blaze22/pseuds/Blaze22
Summary: Susie Campbell and Sammy Lawrence are both hired in Joey Drew Studios. This job may make some of their dreams come true, including ones they would have never imagined - such as finding love. Though in the end, it might just cost them their very souls.-On hiatus until further notice-





	1. Prologue: Prelude

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! There is a piece of artwork to go along with the prologue that was made by Shad, a friend of mine, as this was a brief collab between us. You can find her through the info right below this, so please go check their Instagram page out!
> 
> Illustration by Shad Geek, who you can find on Instagram @shad_geek, or through the link below.  
> http://instagram.com/shad_geek
> 
> I couldn't, for the life of me, figure out how to correctly insert images into this, so when you come to the 'view this post on Instagram' link and click it, that's where you'll see the art. My apologies to everyone for making it complicated to view it!

After twisting the key, the door latch unlocked with a click, and the door swung open with a defiant squeal from its rusty hinges. Susie Campbell shut the door and locked it behind her after she entered the apartment.

The woman took the leather handbag off of her shoulder and set it down on top of the small, wooden counter running along the wall of her kitchen. She opened a cupboard that was at eye level, reached inside of it, and withdrew a glass jar that was filled up halfway with coins and an occasional crumpled up dollar bill: her tips from her waitressing. 

Susie reached inside of her bag to take out the tips that she had collected from the long shift at the rundown diner she worked at, but her hand instead closed around a piece of cloth. The woman plucked the item out and shook it out so she could look at it. 

It was a napkin, with an address scrawled across it. She wrinkled her nose in disgust as she recalled the pair of coarse men whom she had waited on who were quite intent on her services and what they thought she could offer. After Susie had politely refused a repulsive offer from the taller man, he had shoved the napkin into her hand, saying that she could stop by that evening if she changed her mind. 

With a scoff, Susie crushed the napkin into a ball and tossed it into the waste basket sitting in the corner of the small kitchen. He was lucky that she had been working at the time, otherwise she would have gladly given him a well-deserved slap across his ugly mug and a hard kick in the crotch.

Besides, she would never stoop to that level. She paused and swept a glance over her tiny, unclean apartment, her fair toned skin flushed and lips pulled into a frown. Even if she was living on the streets.

 _On the bright side, I managed to squeeze some extra change from those two bastards,_ she thought while she deposited a handful of pennies and nickels into the jar with a series of satisfying clinks. Susie twisted the lid back on and put it back in its original place.

She smoothed down the front of her garish pink, rather unflattering, waitress attire that she was clothed in, then reached up to fiddle with a strand of blond hair that had fallen loose from the rolled updo that her hair had been pinned into for the day. She began to hum a bouncy tune and reached into her bag once again. This time Susie pulled out a stack of envelopes: her mail from the last few days. The slim woman entered her living room and set the mail down on the coffee table. 

Susie tugged her drab, blue curtains together that hung on the sides of her only window in the apartment. The dark, bustling street and flashing neon lights from the city down below disappeared from view. She walked several feet to turn on a lamp to light the dark room, then turned back to where she had set her stack of mail.

The small table was littered with at least a dozen of opened letters. All of them were from movie studios across the country, and they each contained rejects of her applications to be an actress that she had mailed in to the various places. 

Her humming faded away as her blue gaze swept over the dream crushing papers, a sigh falling from her lips. Susie picked up her stack of mail and began to sort through it. 

A bill for rent, another bill, taxes, and a letter from Joey Drew Studios.

Her heart jumped to her throat when she viewed the latter. Hope flickered through Susie as she gripped the yellowed envelope, all of the other pieces of mail forgotten. Though compared to her earlier hopes, it was small. Every time a new rejection to one of her applications had come in, her beginning hopes and dreams slowly began to fade away and die out; but she now still clung to a small, bright flame of it, believing that _this_ would finally be the one to employ her. 

[ ](https://www.instagram.com/p/BsW0_AKAHOI/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_medium=loading)[ View this post on Instagram ](https://www.instagram.com/p/BsW0_AKAHOI/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_medium=loading)

A sense of déjà vu swept over Susie as she stared at the letter, not yet breaking the seal.

≻───── ⋆✦⋆ ─────≺

"Susie? Something came in the mail for you. Why don't you take a break from sweeping and come and take a look?" a warm voice said. It belonged to Susie's mother, who was stirring a pot of beans over the oven's stovetop and propping a bundled baby against her hip. Her black hair, streaked with silver strands, was swept into a high bun. 

"No way! Please, oh please," Susie said, who dashed into the steamy kitchen and picked up a crisp, white envelope sitting on the counter. 

The blond-haired teenager tore open the letter and yanked out a piece of folded paper. She pored over it and read aloud, "Dear Miss Susie Campbell, you have been accepted to attend New York's Drama Academy for Girls this approaching autumn!!" She could not contain an excited squeal after finishing her sentence. 

"Oh, mother, it's my dream come true! Soon enough I'll be up on those movie films - a star!" Susie strode across the kitchen and embraced her mother, baby and all.

As she stepped out of their embrace, she continued on happily, "Just think - with this opportunity, I can create a life for myself, all while doing what I love."

Her mother had returned the hug tightly with one arm, but returned to stirring the pot on the stove while bouncing the baby in her other arm. The child was entertaining herself by blowing raspberries, her big, hazel eyes occasionally going cross-eyed as she watched her spit bubble from her lips. "I'm so happy for you, honey. But don't you think this dream of yours might be a little . . . out of reach, even with this schooling?" Mrs. Campbell said.

Susie bit the inside of her cheek as she suppressed an eye roll. They had had this discussion more times than she could count. 

Her mother continued, "You know, you could easily find a young man perfectly suited to be your husband. There are plenty of men in town who would be more than willing to have your hand and offer you a stable home right here."

"Mother, I _know_." Susie crossed her arms across her chest and watched her mother. "But my dream isn't to simply marry a man and be a housewife, but to spend my life -"

"Doing what I love. Acting," Mrs. Campbell finished her daughter's sentence, her expression softening as the worn lines patterned across her face relaxed. She sighed, stopped stirring the steaming pot, lowered the oven's heat, and turned to face Susie. The middle-aged woman looked down to the baby she was holding, a weary smile crossing her lips as she watched the cherub face, which was framed by a halo of soft, blond curls, in her arms.

"It's not only that. You're going to be so far away from your family. You've already been away so much, Susie, because of how much work you've been doing."

What her mother said was true. As soon as any store or place would employ Susie, the girl had begun to work. Securing small jobs for a teenage girl by oneself - especially while the Great Depression was in action - was a difficult task, yet nonetheless she had managed to accomplish it throughout the years. Penny by penny Susie had saved up so she would be able to pay for the tuition to attend the drama academy in New York once she had graduated from high school. It was up to her to work for the payment of secondary schooling, after all, because her family's financial situation was in no state to meet any additional expenses such as that. 

Susie said, "But all that work was so I could pay to attend this." She held the letter up in her hand and dropped it to her side. The girl leaned over her sister and extended her pinkie. The baby grasped her finger with a fist. "I won't forget about you all - I'll be back to visit. Especially you, little Miss Cora." Susie's nose crinkled as she smiled down at her smallest sister, who smiled back up at Susie and gurgled happily, saliva running down her chin. Cora began to wave Susie's finger around, suddenly fascinated with her new toy as the two continued their conversation. 

Mrs. Campbell bit her lip before speaking. "I know I can't keep you away from pursuing your dreams," she chuckled dryly. "You've always been so determined to achieve them, no matter how wild they are. It's just . . . hard for me. Yet _another_ child leaving the nest already. You've grown up so much, in so little time." 

Susie winced, but locked gazes with her mother. Blue eyes met blue eyes, both pooling with emotion, understanding, and tears. 

"I love you." 

"I love you too, Susie." 

≻───── ⋆✦⋆ ─────≺

Brought back to the present moment, Susie quickly wiped away a single, salty tear trailing down her cheek. She stared at the letter in her hands with a weary countenance for one more moment. The results from those four years of schooling were nothing, which only left her to simply hope and try to tie up the loose ends. 

She began to open it, her fingernail dragging beneath the seal. Once the flap popped free of the envelope, she tugged out the piece of somewhat yellowed paper. Her blue eyes began to scan the letter

_Dear Ms. Campbell,_

_Joey Drew Studios is pleased to have received your application and resume. We have chosen that you are the most suitable for the position of a voice actress in our studio._

__

_There is no need for you to attend a screen test before confirming your acceptance of this employment. Further enclosed are details, including your beginning salary and the date and time you should arrive at the studio, if you should choose to accept this position._

____

_Signed,_

_____ _

_Joey Drew_

_____ _

The typed out letters and inked signature blurred in Susie's vision.

_____ _

"Oh. My. God." 

_____ _

She clutched the letter to her chest and squeezed her eyes shut, a joyful tear leaking from beneath her mascara coated lashes. Laughter bubbled up her throat as her lips parted in a grin, which revealed pearly whites. 

_____ _

"I did it. I actually, really, finally did it!"

_____ _

Susie held the letter out and scanned it again. On the negative side of the spectrum, it was extremely rare for a voice actor or voice actress to be recognized, acknowledged, and known by the public - and the spotlight was what she craved. 

_____ _

Though, on the positive side, this was just the job she needed in her current situation, and she would most definitely enjoy doing it all the while. If the movie studios would not accept her now, later on they might with this employment under her belt. 

_____ _

Still smiling widely, Susie inhaled shakily and spoke. 

_____ _

"Joey Drew Studios, here I come."

_____ _


	2. Andante

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick heads up - since AO3 doesn't have options for prologues, 'chapter two' will really be chapter one, and so on(I don't want to clog the chapter name up by typing the chapter number every time). 
> 
> Also, sorry about the slow-pace this chapter is at, I'm honestly still winging story plotting. If you have any suggestions or critique for the story at all, feel free to comment. Hope you enjoy!

One step. Then another.

The wooden floorboards squeaked with each slow, cautious step taken. A hallway lined with posters displaying the famous Bendy cartoons greeted Susie. A large space laid beyond it. 

"Hello?" she called. Despite the fact that it was seven o'clock in the morning, the cartoon studio seemed oddly empty; which proved to be quite unsettling. A stale chill settled in the air, causing gooseflesh to break out on her bare arms, so she wrapped her arms around her midriff. She had hung her coat on the coat-rack when she had entered; she wore a tan colored day dress, heels, and her blond locks fell loosely over her shoulders.

Just as Susie began to near the corners of the hallway a man appeared, causing her to startle. "Hello! You must be Susie Campbell? I'm Joey Drew," he said, extending his hand. 

Susie nodded quickly, taking a deep breath to calm her racing heart. "Yes, I am. I must admit, I wasn't expecting _the_ Joey Drew to greet me here. You must be a very busy man," she said. She breathily laughed and shook his hand, which firmly grasped hers before letting go. 

Susie took a moment to take in her new employer's appearance, which proved to be somewhat imposing, due to his height. He had blond hair slicked to the side, sparkling green, tinged with grey, eyes, and a toothy grin split his, admittedly handsome, tanned features.

Joey said, "Yes, well, I like to give each new employee a good first impression of the studio. I'm glad to see you decided to choose this employment." His eyes quickly flicked over her slim, curvy form before he turned and flourished with his hand to the open space. "Let's not burn anymore daylight. Welcome to Joey Drew Studios! Up here is the art department, and your level is just below this. Are you all right with taking the stairs?" 

Susie nodded in agreement as he explained that using the elevator shaft would only waste time, because the distance being traveled between the floors was small. As they descended down a stairwell and Joey's chatter filled the air -- which made the studio seem much less empty -- the woman determined that he was certainly quite a character - charismatic, and friendly.

"Now, this is the music department, as you can tell." Joey motioned to a black logo plastered on the wall that came into sight by the time they reached the top of a short stairwell. 

"I'm going to introduce you to the music director before we part ways. He'll give you a tour of the department as the day begins." Susie now walked several feet in front of Joey as he spoke, excitement coursing through her veins as she took in the surroundings. She passed the left side of the wall with the logo and instinctively turned left around a corner, although she had not been instructed to.

Something solid abruptly met her. Or, rather, someone. A white shirt filled the blonde's vision before she collided into them, her arms being brought up to protect herself. She stumbled back with a cry of surprise at the contact, heels skidding to find purchase on the ground. The other person grunted, and papers flew out of their hands and into the air. 

Before she could apologize, the other spoke as he stooped down to pick up the papers. "How many _times_ do I have to tell you all to watch where you're going around this corner?" the man asked, clearly agitated. 

Susie smothered a smile and her eyebrows rose as she watched him reach for a bent piece of paper marked with rows of staffs. He had not even looked at her yet, so she gathered that he assumed she was a worker at the studio and was unaware of Joey's presence behind her, considering the way he treated her. 

As she inhaled to apologize, she took a brief moment to study the man. He was handsome, no doubt. He had tanned skin, long, light brown hair that was pulled into a low ponytail, and a strong jawline. He also appeared to be in his late twenties, was fairly well-built, and was clothed in a white, button up shirt, black pants, and suspenders. 

Before Susie could speak, Joey cleared his throat and stepped to her side. "Excuse me, Mr. Lawrence," he said. The man immediately straightened up, the papers loosely grasped in his fists. Startling clear, blue eyes widened in surprise as he looked from Joey to Susie.

"Oh, Joey! I-" he stammered.

Joey cut him off. "This is the new voice actress I mentioned to you before. I'd like you to meet Mr. Lawrence, the music department director, but most just call him Sammy. And, Sammy, this is Ms. Campbell."

By then, Sammy had composed himself from the surprise of his employer's arrival, evident by his expression smoothing over. "Good to meet you, Ms. Campbell." Sammy extended his hand to her, which she grasped. She said, "Nice to meet you as well. Though, please, you can call me Susie. And I'm sorry for the run-in." She flashed a bright smile as they shook hands. He dipped his head in acknowledgment to her request and apology.

"Sammy, I'd like you to show her around this morning. You know what to do." Joey nodded to both of them, then took a step back. "And don't forget - work hard and work happy!" With that, the tall man whisked out of sight. 

Susie turned back to Sammy to catch his expression hardening into one of annoyance. Before she could come to a conclusion of why his stoic expression had shifted, it smoothed back out once again.

"Does he come around this department often?" Susie asked. Sammy rolled his eyes. "No, not much - he's very busy. If he does, it's either to yell at us to pick up the pace because a deadline is approaching, or to record lines.”

She nodded in understanding. Sammy began to stride away and she hurried to catch up to him. "Wait. You said he records . . . ?" Susie asked, her brows furrowing. 

"Yes. Joey voices Bendy," came the short reply.

Her jaw dropped open. Would she be working with _the_ founder of the studio on a daily basis? Sammy interrupted her thoughts. 

"And, no, he doesn't record the lines during normal work hours. He usually does them early in the morning or at night." Susie frowned, curiosity arising as to why the manager would be voice acting. Before she could inquire more about it, Sammy walked into a room that had a dim 'recording' sign beside it. With a pop, lights flickered on and illuminated the space. Her blue eyes widened at the sight.

"All right, so this is the recording studio . . ."

━━━━━━━ •♬• ━━━━━━━

Sammy watched Susie as she peered into the room that solely contained an organ, her blue gaze bright with delight. Over what, he could not begin to guess. She certainly was something else, though her physical appearance was naturally striking. He had shown Susie around the department, introduced her to the few workers who clocked into work early that they had stumbled across, and answered any questions she asked. Which had admittedly been quite a few, from his perspective. His patience with this little tour waned by the minute; Joey, of all people, should have known that he had a great deal of work to complete, so why he assigned Sammy to show the new workers around was beyond him.

By now almost the entire department had checked in, which left him one more thing to do: show Susie her work space and finally return the papers he had been carrying around to Jack Fain. This plan came to an abrupt halt as they stepped out of the room and were met with a young woman walking down the hall, who startled as soon as she set eyes on Sammy. 

Before the African American lady could form a coherent sentence and make a quick leave, Sammy gestured at Susie. "Hello, Ms. Edwards. I'd like you to meet Susie Campbell. Grace here is one of our clarinetists in the band." 

Sammy watched Susie carefully for her reaction at seeing the heavyset, timid woman. To his pleasant surprise, she did not flinch as she enthusiastically shook Grace's hand and they exchanged pleasantries. Perhaps she had been raised in a different home environment than most, or she was simply good at covering any prejudice. Either way, this interaction proved that she would fit in well with the studio's environment.

"I, ah, must be on my way," Grace murmured, throwing a nervous glance over her shoulder. She offered a small smile to Susie before she scurried past them, most likely on the way to the recording studio.

"She seems nice," Susie said. Sammy hummed absentmindedly and looked down the hallway, suddenly becoming aware of why Grace had dismissed herself so quickly. Three men emerged from a door further down the hallway, all laughing boisterously. Before Sammy could say anything, a whistle of appreciation sounded from the trio as they approached.

"Look what the cat dragged in!" one of the men said, a Scottish accent lacing the words. Sammy cast a quick glance to Susie, whose mouth opened as her face contorted into an expression of borderline rage. He jumped in before any damage could be inflicted. 

"Susie, I'd like you to meet the Prodigies. They are the Butcher Gang's voice actors."

"Yep! The name's Charles and . . ." The pudgier, Hispanic man standing in the middle paused and swept his arm to the left to gesture to the Scot. "This here's Bernie." He repeated the action, though to the right. "And this is Evan."

"Pleasure." Bernie winked at Susie and bowed with a flourish. He had a head full of ruddy brown curly hair and his brown eyes twinkled mischievously.

"Yeah, nice to meet you!" Evan excitedly greeted, a British accent punctuating his high-pitched words. He pushed his pair of thick glasses up the bridge of his nose, black hair flopping into his vision.

Before Susie could even form a coherent response, the trio began to parade past them. Charles said, "Hey, what's the difference between Evan and a saxophone?" 

"What?" Bernie asked. 

"Nothing - they both squeak when they talk!" 

The crew burst out laughing, but Bernie threw a wink and a goodbye over his shoulder as they left. "See you around, lassie."

Susie crossed her arms across her chest, an amused pout forming on her full lips as their laughter faded away. "Are they _always_ like that?" she asked. Sammy pinched the bridge of his nose. "Sadly, yes. I swear, between them and Wally, I practically baby this floor half of my hours." His words were nearly a growl. Silence ensued, causing him to glance at Susie, whose arms were still crossed. 

"And are you always like this?" she asked. 

"Excuse me?" Sammy asked, cocking an eyebrow. 

She waved a hand up and down in his direction. "You know. Uninterested and snappy?" She flinched as soon as the words left her mouth, regret causing her cheeks to flush pink. Sammy bristled, muscles tensing as he stared at her, which was returned with a level gaze of her own, chin tilted up. Apparently Susie had caught on to his unwillingness to be traipsing about the level with her. 

"Please, do be more forward," he said, sarcasm oozing in his tone. He then sighed and extended both hands out, palms up, his body relaxing slightly. "Let me apologize. I'm not usually 'like this', though my coworkers would beg to differ." He scoffed. "Work has simply . . . been stressful and put me on the edge, per say."

Susie nodded once, her currently unreadable blue eyes still on him. 

"Hey, you two!"

They simultaneously turned towards the voice. It belonged to Wally, who strolled down the hallway, hands stuffed in his overall pockets. He tipped his flat cap to Susie before settling it back onto his head of messy, dirty blond hair, his mouth forming a lopsided grin. 

"Hello Wally!" she greeted - she had been introduced to the GENT worker earlier that morning. Sammy tapped his foot on the ground impatiently.

"Ya guys almost done with your grand tour? What do ya think so far?" he asked. Susie nodded and smiled, her features lighting up. "I think it's fantastic! I can’t wait for my first recording."

"Great to hear. I'll see ya later, I'm off to the first floor. Joey's wantin' me to be up there to learn the works of this fancy new Ink Machine we got," Wally said. 

Susie frowned.

"What's an _Ink_ Machine?"


	3. Mezzo Forte

Only three weeks with Susie Campbell hired at Joey Drew Studios, and things had changed. 

Any time a new employee was hired for the music department, Sammy could pick up the subtle shift it brought to their work environment's atmosphere. It might sound absurd, but with less than thirty people working on a floor with limited space, a ripple effect transpired. For example, the Butcher Gang's voice actor's arrival had brought laughter and groans echoing through the walls. Susie's appearance made a little more light appear, like a small candle had been lit. 

Sammy sighed softly and dragged himself out of his thoughts. He sat with his back pressed against the wall and his legs folded beneath him. Murray Hill, a GENT worker, sat to his right, her long legs listlessly stretched out. Jack Fain sat in a chair to Sammy's left, where his knee bounced to an unseen rhythm as he checked his watch. 

"Time?" Sammy asked.

"Five forty-five," Jack said. 

Sammy groaned and leaned his head back, where it connected to the wall with a dull 'thud'. This was the third time that the Ink Machine above their heads had leaked and flooded the stairwell with ink, consequently trapping the music department inside at the end of the work day, along with some others(such as a few janitors and artists who were on the level for one reason or another). As the employees waited for Thomas to drain the stairwell so they could return home, they mindlessly lounged in the music department's lobby. Bouncy, instrumental music looped from the speakers above and soft chatter filled the air. 

The two with him were Sammy's friends. Murray had chin-length, raven black hair, and her oval-shaped face sported dark freckles, acne, and high cheekbones. Jack was in his fifties, had dark brown skin wrinkled with time and smiles, and soft, chocolate eyes. 

A small flame jumped to life as Murray held a cigarette to her lips. Sammy glanced over. 

"Want one?" she offered around the stick and waved the pack. 

He shook his head. "I smoked an hour ago." 

Smoke curled up from Murray's thin lips. "That Susie girl cracks me up. You seen the way she looks at me? It's hilarious."

Sammy smirked, his nostrils flaring from the acrid fumes. When Susie first met Murray, she was shocked to find that a female janitor existed. He could admit that it was rare, but Susie seemed to take personal offense that such an unfemininity was present. 

"She seems like a nice girl. Her and Grace look like they're gettin' along well," Jack said and leaned back in his chair, his hand adjusting the grey bowler hat atop of his head. Sammy could swear that the man owned a different colored bowler hat for each week of the year.

Sammy shrugged and dug his elbow into his knee, then propped his chin on his fist, staring at the ground. He had spent a considerable amount of time with Susie in the past month, showing her the ropes of properly recording, coaching her vocals for singing and voice acting, and other similar things. He had just recently hinted of the new female character being put into progress in the art department, and she was quite thrilled to hear so. 

"Hey, here she comes," Murray said. The trio watched as Susie entered the room and looked around, confusion, then understanding passing over her features. 

Jack grinned. "She came along for just the right time of coworker bondin' time, huh?" 

Sammy narrowed his eyes questioningly as he watched her walk to where Wally sat. He couldn't hear what she said, but soon the pair stood in the middle of the lobby, holding hands and smiles painting their faces. 

And they began to dance. 

Sammy lightly smirked as he watched Wally clumsily move his feet to the quick rhythm that softly pulsed from the speakers above. He greatly contrasted Susie, who possessed a unique poise as she danced. The pair stumbled, then straightened with a laugh. Wally awkwardly twirled her around, and her skirt flared up slightly. 

By then, everyone was staring at them. Some began clapping along, and a select few started to stand up, looking as if they were ready to join in. 

Wally and Susie broke apart, and Susie all but skipped over to where Sammy sat. She stuck out her hand. He cocked an eyebrow and looked up at her. 

"Dance with me?" she asked, eyelashes fluttering for the briefest moment. 

She chuckled as Sammy confoundedly stared at her hand and gave no answer. "C'mon, don't look at me like that. There's no better way to pass the time than to dance."

Sammy frowned. "I-"

Susie quickly cut him off. "Are you telling me you can't dance?" Her white teeth flashed in a mocking grin. "Sammy Lawrence, the music prodigy, can't _dance_. What a shame." She propped her other hand on her hip.

"Is that a challenge?" He smirked.

"Maybe."

"Go on, Sammy," Jack prodded, a smile apparent in his tone. Murray snorted. 

Sammy took her hand and stood up, and she led him away. He could see others were joining in; Wally was taking Grace out to the makeshift dance floor, along with a couple who were in the band. 

Sammy and Susie tapped to the quick tempo, both equally graceful. They were swaying to a form of swing dance, but it was nothing that required them to follow certain steps - only to follow their partner. He let go of one of her hands and they swung out, then back together. 

Sammy grinned down at the woman as they continued to quickly move. "Since I came out with you, will you admit that I'm the best dancer in the studio?"

Susie rolled her eyes and glanced down for a split second, then back up to meet his gaze. She spoke between breaths. "Oh, please. You haven't proven anything yet."

He raised his eyebrows and let go of her hand, sending her twirling on his other. When she slowed to face him, he asked, "How about now?" She scoffed through a smile and resumed dancing. "Nope," she said, popping the 'p'. 

Their banter fell silent. Sammy glanced over a moment later as Charles whisked by with a girl in hand and a whistle directed to them, disappearing into the other pairs gathered. His blue eyes darted to hers to catch her reaction, but she seemed absorbed in the beat, cheeks flushed pink from the exertion.

His thoughts were broken when Susie spun on her own accord, loosely gripping his right hand. On the fourth beat, Sammy dipped her and she kicked a leg out, and he supported her on her way back up. They now remained still, her back facing him. He fought the urge to tremble; if he moved just an inch, her back would be pressed flush to his chest, his chin could rest on her blond head, and-

_God, what am I thinking?_

He exhaled sharply through his nose, which sent a few rogue strands of her loose hair waving. He whispered, "Decide yet?"

Susie tilted her chin up, but didn't face him. "Mhm." He could see a small smirk curve on her red lips. "You're a better dancer than Wally."

Sammy chuckled lowly, released her hands, and backed away, creating distance between their bodies. "I'll take what I can get," he said and slightly bowed at the waist. 

A quiet cheer suddenly rose from those not participating in the festivities. He glanced to the left to see Thomas Connor trudging up the steps finally rid of ink, though he was considerably grimed with the substance. After receiving hearty pats on the back from those near him, they streamed down and away. 

Susie turned to leave with a wave. "See you around."

Sammy nodded, folding his arms over his chest. "Goodbye." Over her retreating head, he could see Jack against the wall, eyebrows raised in a questioning smile. Sammy quietly rolled his eyes at the thought of confronting the persistent, older man and moved towards him so he could retrieve his things. He exhaled in a mutter. 

"I'll never hear the end of this."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've enjoyed this so far, kudos are appreciated, but not required!  
> Have a great day!


	4. Author's Note: Hiatus

I typically don't add author's notes as a separate chapter for announcements, but I changed my mind for this one because I thought it was necessary. I'm really sorry if you were looking for an update!

This story will be going on hiatus for a while, for a couple of reasons. 

One: Soon after starting this story, I created a couple of other story ideas and ran with them, and I'm currently preoccupied with those. Two: Because I'm giving priority to those stories, I haven't been great at updating this. I don't think it's fair for anyone following along to have to wait a whole month for an update, and it's not a personal preference of mine to write like that. 

Basically, I'm going to pause this and not worry about updating. In that time, I'm going to write several chapters ahead until I feel ready to get back to this(which is honestly written for the heck of the ship, haha). Thank you guys for reading this, and I'll see you in a while! ♡


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